The Green Fairy Book

A >> Andrew Lang, Ed. >> The Green Fairy Book

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Then one of the dwarfs called out, 'Someone is up in that tree.
Come down at once, whoever you are, or we must come and fetch
you.'

In great terror, Hok Lee proceeded to come down; but he was so
nervous that he tripped near the ground and came rolling down in
the most absurd manner. When he had picked himself up, he came
forward with a low bow, and the dwarf who had first spoken and who
appeared to be the leader, said, 'Now, then, who art thou, and
what brings thee here?'

So Hok Lee told him the sad story of his swelled cheek, and how he
had been advised to come to the forest and beg the dwarfs to cure
him.

'It is well,' replied the dwarf. 'We will see about that. First,
however, thou must dance before us. Should thy dancing please us,
perhaps we may be able to do something; but shouldst thou dance
badly, we shall assuredly punish thee, so now take warning and
dance away.'

With that, he and all the other dwarfs sat down in a large ring,
leaving Hok Lee to dance alone in the middle. He felt half
frightened to death, and besides was a good deal shaken by his
fall from the tree and did not feel at all inclined to dance. But
the dwarfs were not to be trifled with.

'Begin!' cried their leader, and 'Begin!' shouted the rest in
chorus.

So in despair Hok Lee began. First he hopped on one foot and then
on the other, but he was so stiff and so nervous that he made but
a poor attempt, and after a time sank down on the ground and vowed
he could dance no more.

The dwarfs were very angry. They crowded round Hok Lee and abused
him. 'Thou to come here to be cured, indeed!' they cried, 'thou
hast brought one big cheek with thee, but thou shalt take away
two.' And with that they ran off and disappeared, leaving Hok Lee
to find his way home as best he might.

He hobbled away, weary and depressed, and not a little anxious on
account of the dwarfs' threat.

Nor were his fears unfounded, for when he rose next morning his
left cheek was swelled up as big as his right, and he could hardly
see out of his eyes. Hok Lee felt in despair, and his neighbours
jeered at him more than ever. The doctor, too, had disappeared, so
there was nothing for it but to try the dwarfs once more.

He waited a month till the first night of the full moon came round
again, and then he trudged back to the forest, and sat down under
the tree from which he had fallen. He had not long to wait. Ere
long the dwarfs came trooping out till all were assembled.

'I don't feel quite easy,' said one; 'I feel as if some horrid
human being were near us.'

When Hok Lee heard this he came forward and bent down to the
ground before the dwarfs, who came crowding round, and laughed
heartily at his comical appearance with his two big cheeks.

'What dost thou want?' they asked; and Hok Lee proceeded to tell
them of his fresh misfortunes, and begged so hard to be allowed
one more trial at dancing that the dwarfs consented, for there is
nothing they love so much as being amused.

Now, Hok Lee knew how much depended on his dancing well, so he
plucked up a good spirit and began, first quite slowly, and faster
by degrees, and he danced so well and gracefully, and made such
new and wonderful steps, that the dwarfs were quite delighted with
him.

They clapped their tiny hands, and shouted, 'Well done, Hok Lee,
well done, go on, dance more, for we are pleased.'

And Hok Lee danced on and on, till he really could dance no more,
and was obliged to stop.

Then the leader of the dwarfs said, 'We are well pleased, Hok Lee,
and as a recompense for thy dancing thy face shall be cured.
Farewell.'

With these words he and the other dwarfs vanished, and Hok Lee,
putting his hands to his face, found to his great joy that his
cheeks were reduced to their natural size. The way home seemed
short and easy to him, and he went to bed happy, and resolved
never to go out robbing again.

Next day the whole town was full of the news of Hok's sudden cure.
His neighbours questioned him, but could get nothing from him,
except the fact that he had discovered a wonderful cure for all
kinds of diseases.

After a time a rich neighbour, who had been ill for some years,
came, and offered to give Hok Lee a large sum of money if he would
tell him how he might get cured. Hok Lee consented on condition
that he swore to keep the secret. He did so, and Hok Lee told him
of the dwarfs and their dances.

The neighbour went off, carefully obeyed Hok Lee's directions, and
was duly cured by the dwarfs. Then another and another came to Hok
Lee to beg his secret, and from each he extracted a vow of secrecy
and a large sum of money. This went on for some years, so that at
length Hok Lee became a very wealthy man, and ended his days in
peace and prosperity.

From the Chinese.

THE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS

Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a
house of their own in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small, Wee
Bear; and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great,
Huge Bear. They had each a pot for their porridge, a little pot
for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the
Middle Bear; and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they
had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small,
Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear; and a
great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a bed to
sleep in; a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a
middle-sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a great bed for the
Great, Huge Bear.

One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and
poured it into their porridge-pots, they walked out into the wood
while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their
mouths by beginning too soon to eat it. And while they were
walking, a little old woman came to the house. She could not have
been a good, honest old woman; for, first, she looked in at the
window, and then she peeped in at the keyhole; and, seeing nobody
in the house, she lifted the latch. The door was not fastened,
because the bears were good bears, who did nobody any harm, and
never suspected that anybody would harm them. So the little old
woman opened the door and went in; and well pleased she was when
she saw the porridge on the table. If she had been a good little
old woman she would have waited till the bears came home, and
then, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; for they
were good bears--a little rough or so, as the manner of bears is,
but for all that very good-natured and hospitable. But she was an
impudent, bad old woman, and set about helping herself.

So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that
was too hot for her; and she said a bad word about that. And then
she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear; and that was too cold
for her; and she said a bad word about that too. And then she went
to the porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that;
and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right; and she
liked it so well, that she ate it all up: but the naughty old
woman said a bad word about the little porridge-pot, because it
did not hold enough for her.

Then the little old woman sate down in the chair of the Great,
Huge Bear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sate down
in the chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her.
And then she sate down in the chair of the Little, Small, Wee
Bear, and that was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right.
So she seated herself in it, and there she sate till the bottom of
the chair came out, and down came she, plump upon the ground. And
the naughty old woman said a wicked word about that too.

Then the little old woman went up stairs into the bed-chamber in
which the three bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed
of the Great, Huge Bear; but that was too high at the head for
her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear; and
that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon
the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and that was neither too
high at the head, nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered
herself up comfortably, and lay there till she fell fast asleep.

By this time the three bears thought their porridge would be cool
enough; so they came home to breakfast. Now the little old woman
had left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear, standing in his
porridge.

'SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!'

said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great gruff voice. And when the
Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in
it too. They were wooden spoons; if they had been silver ones, the
naughty old woman would have put them in her pocket.

'Somebody Has Been At My Porridge!'

said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.

Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the
spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone.

'_Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up_!'

said the Little, Small Wee Bear, in his little, small wee voice.

Upon this the three bears, seeing that some one had entered their
house, and eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear's breakfast, began
to look about them. Now the little old woman had not put the hard
cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge
Bear.

'SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!'

said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.

And the little old woman had squatted down the soft cushion of the
Middle Bear.

'Somebody Has Been Sitting In My Chair!'

said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.

And you know what the little old woman had done to the third
chair.

'_Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and has sate the bottom
of it out_!'

said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.

Then the three bears thought it necessary that they should make
farther search; so they went up stairs into their bed-chamber. Now
the little old woman had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear
out of its place.

'SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!'

said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.

And the little old woman had pulled the bolster of the Middle Bear
out of its place.

'Somebody Has Been Lying In My Bed!'

said the Middle Bear in his middle voice.

And when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed,
there was the bolster in its place, and the pillow in its place
upon the bolster, and upon the pillow was the little old woman's
ugly, dirty head,--which was not in its place, for she had no
business there.

'_Somebody has been lying in my bed,--and here she is_!'

said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.

The little old woman had heard in her sleep the great, rough,
gruff voice of the Great, Huge Bear; but she was so fast asleep
that it was no more to her than the roaring of wind or the
rumbling of thunder. And she had heard the middle voice of the
Middle Bear, but it was only as if she had heard someone speaking
in a dream. But when she heard the little, small, wee voice of the
Little, Small, Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill, that it
awakened her at once. Up she started; and when she saw the Three
Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the
other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the
bears, like good, tidy bears as they were, always opened their
bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. Out the little
old woman jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the fall, or
ran into the wood and was lost there, or found her way out of the
wood and was taken up by the constable and sent to the House of
Correction for a vagrant as she was, I cannot tell. But the Three
Bears never saw anything more of her.

Southey.

PRINCE VIVIEN AND THE PRINCESS PLACIDA

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who loved one
another dearly. Indeed the Queen, whose name was Santorina, was so
pretty and so kind-hearted that it would have been a wonder if her
husband had not been fond of her, while King Gridelin himself was
a perfect bundle of good qualities, for the Fairy who presided at
his christening had summoned the shades of all his ancestors, and
taken something good from each of them to form his character.
Unfortunately, though, she had given him rather too much kindness
of heart, which is a thing that generally gets its possessor into
trouble, but so far all things had prospered with King Gridelin.
However, it was not to be expected such good fortune could last,
and before very long the Queen had a lovely little daughter who
was named Placida. Now the King, who thought that if she resembled
her mother in face and mind she would need no other gift, never
troubled to ask any of the Fairies to her christening, and this
offended them mortally, so that they resolved to punish him
severely for thus depriving them of their rights. So, to the
despair of King Gridelin, the Queen first of all became very ill,
and then disappeared altogether. If it had not been for the little
Princess there is no saying what would have become of him, he was
so miserable, but there she was to be brought up, and luckily the
good Fairy Lolotte, in spite of all that had passed, was willing
to come and take charge of her, and of her little cousin Prince
Vivien, who was an orphan and had been placed under the care of
his uncle, King Gridelin, when he was quite a baby. Although she
neglected nothing that could possibly have been done for them,
their characters, as they grew up, plainly proved that education
only softens down natural defects, but cannot entirely do away
with them; for Placida, who was perfectly lovely, and with a
capacity and intelligence which enabled her to learn and
understand anything that presented itself, was at the same time as
lazy and indifferent as it is possible for anyone to be, while
Vivien on the contrary was only too lively, and was for ever
taking up some new thing and as promptly tiring of it, and flying
off to something else which held his fickle fancy an equally short
time. As these two children would possibly inherit the kingdom, it
was natural that their people should take a great interest in
them, and it fell out that all the tranquil and peace-loving
citizens desired that Placida should one day be their Queen, while
the rash and quarrelsome hoped great things for Vivien. Such a
division of ideas seemed to promise civil wars and all kinds of
troubles to the State, and even in the Palace the two parties
frequently came into collision. As for the children themselves,
though they were too well brought up to quarrel, still the
difference in all their tastes and feelings made it impossible for
them to like one another, so there seemed no chance of their ever
consenting to be married, which was a pity, since that was the
only thing that would have satisfied both parties. Prince Vivien
was fully aware of the feeling in his favour, but being too
honourable to wish to injure his pretty cousin, and perhaps too
impatient and volatile to care to think seriously about anything,
he suddenly took it into his head that he would go off by himself
in search of adventure. Luckily this idea occurred to him when he
was on horseback, for he would certainly have set out on foot
rather than lose an instant. As it was, he simply turned his
horse's head, without another thought than that of getting out of
the kingdom as soon as possible. This abrupt departure was a great
blow to the State, especially as no one had any idea what had
become of the Prince. Even King Gridelin, who had never cared for
anything since the disappearance of Queen Santorina, was roused by
this new loss, and though he could not so much as look at the
Princess Placida without shedding floods of tears, he resolved to
see for himself what talents and capabilities she showed. He very
soon found out that in addition to her natural indolence, she was
being as much indulged and spoilt day by day as if the Fairy had
been her grandmother, and was obliged to remonstrate very
seriously upon the subject. Lolotte took his reproaches meekly,
and promised faithfully that she would not encourage the Princess
in her idleness and indifference any more. From this moment poor
Placida's troubles began! She was actually expected to choose her
own dresses, to take care of her jewels, and to find her own
amusements; but rather than take so much trouble she wore the same
old frock from morning till night, and never appeared in public if
she could possibly avoid it. However, this was not all, King
Gridelin insisted that the affairs of the kingdom should be
explained to her, and that she should attend all the councils and
give her opinion upon the matter in hand whenever it was asked of
her, and this made her life such a burden to her that she implored
Lolotte to take her away from a country where too much was
required of an unhappy Princess.

The Fairy refused at first with a great show of firmness, but who
could resist the tears and entreaties of anyone so pretty as
Placida? It came to this in the end, that she transported the
Princess just as she was, cosily tucked up upon her favourite
couch, to her own Grotto, and this new disappearance left all the
people in despair, and Gridelin went about looking more distracted
than ever. But now let us return to Prince Vivien, and see what
his restless spirit has brought him to. Though Placida's kingdom
was a large one; his horse had carried him gallantly to the limit
of it, but it could go no further, and the Prince was obliged to
dismount and continue his journey on foot, though this slow mode
of progress tired his patience severely.

After what seemed to him a very long time, he found himself all
alone in a vast forest, so dark and gloomy that he secretly
shuddered; however, he chose the most promising looking path he
could find, and marched along it courageously at his best speed,
but in spite of all his efforts, night fell before he reached the
edge of the wood.

For some time he stumbled along, keeping to the path as well as he
could in the darkness, and just as he was almost wearied out he
saw before him a gleam of light.

This sight revived his drooping spirits, and he made sure that he
was now close to the shelter and supper he needed so much, but the
more he walked towards the light the further away it seemed;
sometimes he even lost sight of it altogether, and you may imagine
how provoked and impatient he was by the time he finally arrived
at the miserable cottage from which the light proceeded. He gave a
loud knock at the door, and an old woman's voice answered from
within, but as she did not seem to be hurrying herself to open it
he redoubled his blows, and demanded to be let in imperiously,
quite forgetting that he was no longer in his own kingdom. But all
this had no effect upon the old woman, who only noticed all the
uproar he was making by saying gently:

'You must have patience.'

He could hear that she really was coming to open the door to him,
only she was so very long about it. First she chased away her cat,
lest it should run away when the door was opened, then he heard
her talking to herself and made out that her lamp wanted trimming,
that she might see better who it was that knocked, and then that
it lacked fresh oil, and she must refill it. So what with one
thing and another she was an immense time trotting to and fro, and
all the while she now and again bade the Prince have patience.
When at last he stood within the little hut he saw with despair
that it was a picture of poverty, and that not a crumb of anything
eatable was to be seen, and when he explained to the old woman
that he was dying of hunger and fatigue she only answered
tranquilly that he must have patience. However, she presently
showed him a bundle of straw on which he could sleep.

'But what can I have to eat?' cried Prince Vivien sharply.

'Wait a little, wait a little,' she replied. 'If you will only
have patience I am just going out into the garden to gather some
peas: we will shell them at our leisure, then I will light a fire
and cook them, and when they are thoroughly done, we can enjoy
them peaceably; there is no hurry.'

'I shall have died of starvation by the time all that is done,'
said the Prince ruefully.

'Patience, patience,' said the old woman looking at him with her
slow gentle smile, 'I can't be hurried. "All things come at last
to him who waits;" you must have heard that often.'

Prince Vivien was wild with aggravation, but there was nothing to
be done.

'Come then,' said the old woman, 'you shall hold the lamp to light
me while I pick the peas.'

The Prince in his haste snatched it up so quickly that it went
out, and it took him a long time to light it again with two little
bits of glowing charcoal which he had to dig out from the pile of
ashes upon the hearth. However, at last the peas were gathered and
shelled, and the fire lighted, but then they had to be carefully
counted, since the old woman declared that she would cook fifty-
four, and no more. In vain did the Prince represent to her that he
was famished--that fifty-four peas would go no way towards
satisfying his hunger--that a few peas, more or less, surely could
not matter. It was quite useless, in the end he had to count out
the fifty-four, and worse than that, because he dropped one or two
in his hurry, he had to begin again from the very first, to be
sure the number was complete. As soon as they were cooked the old
dame took a pair of scales and a morsel of bread from the
cupboard, and was just about to divide it when Prince Vivien, who
really could wait no longer, seized the whole piece and ate it up,
saying in his turn, 'Patience.'

'You mean that for a joke,' said the old woman, as gently as ever,
'but that is really my name, and some day you will know more about
me.'

Then they each ate their twenty-seven peas, and the Prince was
surprised to find that he wanted nothing more, and he slept as
sweetly upon his bed of straw as he had ever done in his palace.

In the morning the old woman gave him milk and bread for his
breakfast, which he ate contentedly, rejoicing that there was
nothing to be gathered, or counted, or cooked, and when he had
finished he begged her to tell him who she was.

'That I will, with pleasure,' she replied. 'But it will be a long
story.'

'Oh! if it's long, I can't listen,' cried the Prince.

'But,' said she, 'at your age, you should attend to what old
people say, and learn to have patience.'

'But, but,' said the Prince, in his most impatient tone, 'old
people should not be so long-winded! Tell me what country I have
got into, and nothing else.'

'With all my heart,' said she. 'You are in the Forest of the Black
Bird; it is here that he utters his oracles.'

'An Oracle,' cried the Prince. 'Oh! I must go and consult him.'
Thereupon he drew a handful of gold from his pocket, and offered
it to the old woman, and when she would not take it, he threw it
down upon the table and was off like a flash of lightning, without
even staying to ask the way. He took the first path that presented
itself and followed it at the top of his speed, often losing his
way, or stumbling over some stone, or running up against a tree,
and leaving behind him without regret the cottage which had been
as little to his taste as the character of its possessor. After
some time he saw in the distance a huge black castle which
commanded a view of the whole forest. The Prince felt certain that
this must be the abode of the Oracle, and just as the sun was
setting he reached its outermost gates. The whole castle was
surrounded by a deep moat, and the drawbridge and the gates, and
even the water in the moat, were all of the same sombre hue as the
walls and towers. Upon the gate hung a huge bell, upon which was
written in red letters:

'Mortal, if thou art curious to know thy fate, strike this bell,
and submit to what shall befall thee.'

The Prince, without the smallest hesitation, snatched up a great
stone, and hammered vigorously upon the bell, which gave forth a
deep and terrible sound, the gate flew open, and closed again with
a thundering clang the moment the Prince had passed through it,
while from every tower and battlement rose a wheeling, screaming
crowd of bats which darkened the whole sky with their multitudes.
Anyone but Prince Vivien would have been terrified by such an
uncanny sight, but he strode stoutly forward till he reached the
second gate, which was opened to him by sixty black slaves covered
from head to foot in long mantles.

He wished to speak to them, but soon discovered that they spoke an
utterly unknown language, and did not seem to understand a word he
said. This was a great aggravation to the Prince, who vas not
accustomed to keep his ideas to himself, and he positively found
himself wishing for his old friend Patience. However, he had to
follow his guides in silence, and they led him into a magnificent
hall; the floor was of ebony, the walls of jet, and all the
hangings were of black velvet, but the Prince looked round it in
vain for something to eat, and then made signs that he was hungry.
In the same manner he was respectfully given to understand that he
must wait, and after several hours the sixty hooded and shrouded
figures re-appeared, and conducted him with great ceremony, and
also very very slowly, to a banqueting hall, where they all placed
themselves at a long table. The dishes were arranged down the
centre of it, and with his usual impetuosity the Prince seized the
one that stood in front of him to draw it nearer, but soon found
that it was firmly fixed in its place. Then he looked at his
solemn and lugubrious neighbours, and saw that each one was
supplied with a long hollow reed through which he slowly sucked up
his portion, and the Prince was obliged to do the same, though he
found it a frightfully tedious process. After supper, they
returned as they had come to the ebony room, where he was
compelled to look on while his companions played interminable
games of chess, and not until he was nearly dying of weariness did
they, slowly and ceremoniously as before, conduct him to his
sleeping apartment. The hope of consulting the Oracle woke him
very early the next morning, and his first demand was to be
allowed to present himself before it, but, without replying, his
attendants conducted him to a huge marble bath, very shallow at
one end, and quite deep at the other, and gave him to understand
that he was to go into it. The Prince, nothing loth, was for
springing at once into deep water, but he was gently but forcibly
held back and only allowed to stand where it was about an inch
deep, and he was nearly wild with impatience when he found that
this process was to be repeated every day in spite of all he could
say or do, the water rising higher and higher by inches, so that
for sixty days he had to live in perpetual silence, ceremoniously
conducted to and fro, supping all his meals through the long reed,
and looking on at innumerable games of chess, the game of all
others which he detested most. But at last the water rose as high
as his chin, and his bath was complete. And that day the slaves in
their black robes, and each having a large bat perched upon his
head, marched in slow procession with the Prince in their midst,
chanting a melancholy song, to the iron gate that led into a kind
of Temple. At the sound of their chanting, another band of slaves
appeared, and took possession of the unhappy Vivien.

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